If the Philadelphia Eagles can dig themselves out of the deep hole in the NFC, we'll likely look at the second half of Sunday's win over New York as an inflection point.
The turnaround started with riding running back Josh Adams. After getting just four carries for four yards in the first half, the undrafted rookie blasted off for 84 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. His day would have been better if not for a 52-yard TD nullified by a hold in the first quarter.
Displaying a turbo-button explosion mode and patience to find the right hole, Adams has put his stamp on the Eagles' lead-back duties.
Coach Doug Pederson said Monday that Adams earned more touches.
"We kind of knew what we had coming out of training camp but you still don't know until players play," Pederson said, via the team's official website. "Josh now has kind of taken that lead and we continue to grow and try to increase his touches each week."
Adams' 22 totes on Sunday was the most carries in a game by an Eagles player since Ryan Mathews in Week 1, 2016 versus the Browns (22). The Notre Dame product's 84 yards is the most rush yards in a game by an Eagles player since LeGarrette Blount in Week 12, 2017 versus Bears (97).
The lack of success on third downs this season has led to some of the Eagles' struggles to hold the ball and get the run game going. Pederson hopes that with Adams leading the way down the stretch, Philly will have better balance.
"I think it's something that has always been there," Pederson said. "We've seen glimpses of that and when we've rushed the ball for nearly 30 times a game, I think that's been a good recipe. I think if you go back and look at the wins, we've been pretty successful at doing that."